BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

On May 16-18th an international gathering of folder folk will meet in Philadelphia at The Round*Up USA, a small-wheel and folding-bike festival billed as "three days to explore the compact bicycle universe." Lots of new folding-bike models and products will be launched . Brit small-wheel companies such as Brompton and Airnimal will be at the Anglophile-organised show and there will be prototype folders from Dahon and other micro makers. But which bike will win the Fast Fold Showdown (as if we didn't already know...)?

He's in the pay of nobody. He has little bike trade 'baggage', emotional or historic. He's respected by industry and advocates alike. He's listened to by politicians and key bureaucrats. He has the zeal of a convert. He's inclusive, and a diplomat. Marketing could be his middle name. Is Phillip Darnton the two-wheeled lynchpin we've all been waiting for?

Some IBDs and the small but growing number of light electric vehicle retailers stock electric micro-scooters. But can customers ride them away from the store without being pulled up by the long arm of the law? Samantha Mangwana of Russell Jones and Walker - "Solicitors for Cyclists" - reviews the relevant legislation and case law. (But the basic answer is "no".)

adidas-Salomon, owner of Mavic and adidas Cycling, saw a 12 percent hike in year-on-year sales. And the company is to form Mavic-adidas Cycling to manage the group's road cycling and mountain biking activities in one operational unit.

So, what can the bike trade do about it? With one man's meat being another man's poison, is saddle-customisation an idea worth exploring?